At 50 years old, Lethbridge’s Lee Mein isn’t ready to stop. Not even close.
Mein (8-13) will set foot in the cage once again Saturday night in the main event for Fight Night 6, welcoming a tough test in Winnipeg’s Steve Roy (2-2). The pair will be the main event of the evening, and be competing in the heavyweight division.
Mein's longevity has made him one of the most recognizable figures on Canada's regional heavyweight scene. Fighting out of Lethbridge, he has spent two decades headlining and co-headlining cards across western Canada — often in his home province — and his presence in a main event still draws a hometown crowd the way few veterans can.
Mein said it’s the pure love of the sport that continues to drive him, plus the thrill of training with an end goal in mind.
“It forces me to make sure I get the rounds in, the stuff I want to do, on top of my normal training where I’m rolling with the guys and teaching classes,” said Mein in an interview.
“But there’s that certain intensity level when preparing for a fight, and it’s just keeps you driven and focused.”
It’s been nearly two decades since Mein’s first professional bout, but he said despite the 20-year increase in age, he actually feels he’s in better shape now.
“20 years ago I was more athletic and agile, but with my consistency in training now, I just feel my overall conditioning is better,” said Mein.
The idea of a 50-year-old main-eventing a professional card would raise eyebrows in most sports, but heavyweight MMA has long made room for outliers. The division's history is dotted with veterans competing well past the typical athletic prime, and Mein has repeatedly pointed to the day-in, day-out rhythm of running his own gym — coaching, rolling and teaching classes — as the reason his body has held up where others' have not.
Mein’s improved conditioning may very well come in handy against Roy on Saturday night as the further a heavyweight bout goes, the fighter with the better conditioning most often comes out on top.
It is a fair read of how heavyweight fights typically break down. The division's combination of large frames and explosive output means cardiovascular failures decide outcomes more often than in lighter weight classes, and a veteran who can still push a consistent pace late into rounds has repeatedly proven dangerous against younger opponents who start fast.
He said he’s aware of Roy’s strengths as a striker, but he tries not to zone in on one area of his opponent’s game as you just never know what can happen.
“You can’t get tunnel vision on one area,” said Mein.
“My plan is to always work on my weaknesses, keep my strengths strong, and deal with what he does at the time.”
Roy’s Cardio up for Challenge
Despite Mein’s top-notch conditioning, Roy, 34, believes his own cardio and speed is at a level most heavyweights aren’t used to seeing.
That contrast is the intrigue at the heart of the matchup. Roy, 34, represents the modern small-heavyweight model — mobility, pace and volume over raw mass — while Mein is the archetypal veteran heavyweight: experienced, durable and content to make the fight ugly in the clinch and on the mat. Which version of heavyweight reality wins out is the question Saturday's main event exists to answer.
He said he can cut weight as low as 185 pounds, so although he will appear smaller in comparison to most heavyweights, his speed and conditioning take over.
“When it comes to the heavyweight division, cardio, speed and precision are my keys,” said Roy in an interview.
“If I finish it in the first round or the third, it doesn’t matter. I’m going to be pushing a pace that Lee won’t be able to keep.”
Roy said with he and Mein’s styles meeting in the cage, this has the makings of an entertaining fight for the fans.
He said he’s expecting to see the best version of Mein possible, and is prepared for an all out war.
“When it comes to Lee Mein, I’m expecting him just to bring it,” said Roy.
“He’s a big beast, he’s a tough dude, he’s fighting in his hometown, and he likes to throw hands and keep it entertaining.”
When the offer to fight Mein was put on the table, Roy said he didn’t have to think twice about it.
He said to be able to share the cage with Mein will be an honour, and said he has nothing but respect for him.
“He’s a living legend. He’s one of the best Canadian heavyweights ever,” said Roy.
“I just relished at the opportunity to fight him.”
That respect is well-earned: Mein's career has spanned multiple eras of Canadian MMA, from the sport's bare-bones regional beginnings through its regulated modern era. A win for Roy would be a legitimate notch against one of the division's most durable names; a win for Mein would be one more improbable chapter in a career that has long since outlasted most of his contemporaries.
